1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a free drop liquid container which is capable of supplying potable liquids such as drinking water to specific predetermined locations on the ground using aircraft to drop the containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditionally, personnel, such as military troops, who are situated in remote locations have had to bring with them all of their supplies or depend upon being able to obtain those supplies at or near their remote location. When this has not been possible or practical, supplies have been brought to these remote locations via aircraft, such as airplanes, helicopters and the like. However, as everyone who has dropped a container of liquid is aware, impact on a rigid container imparts significant stress to the container which may cause it to break open.
Parachutes and similar air resistant devices have been used to substantially reduce the impact of the container on the ground. While this approach can be used to supply remote locations with water and the like, the solution is not without its own drawbacks and is not considered to be a satisfactory answer to the needs of remote ground personnel. Parachutes and other similar devices are much more difficult to accurately aim toward a ground location than are free fall objects. Winds, cross currents, elevation variations and the like all contribute to the lack of control. Also, the time of fall is substantially extended, thereby significantly increasing the length of time which the ground personnel are exposed awaiting the container. In arctic or severe weather conditions, additional exposure can subject the ground personnel to unnecessry and unhealthy exposure. In military operations, the additional time and visibility of such a drop is undesirable because it may expose troops to enemy fire.
In the alternative, if velocity retarding devices such as parachutes are not used, the impact of the container with the ground may be so great that the container is ruptured and the liquid is lost.
As a result, efforts have been made in one instance to provide a container which can be dropped from an aircraft without benefit of air speed retarding devices. The proposed device included seven bags within bags, filled with water and placed in a corrugated box. Unfortunately, the percentage of such containers that survived the drop was far below practical acceptance levels. While some success was minimally achieved at lower air speed, the unit was not found to be useful at air speeds above about 65 knots. It is difficult to operate at low speeds, and it is undesirable because it may expose the aircraft to ground fire.
It would be a great advantage to those who operate in remote locations if they could be supplied water and other potable liquids via a free drop container. Ideally the container would have up to a 5 gallon capacity, and would survive free fall from an aircraft traveling at up to 100 knots or more at an altitude up to 1000 feet. In addition, the device should have tie down capability to withstand up to 3 g acceleration and have grips or handles for easy handling. The container should be suitable for carrying potable liquids such as water in contact with FDA (U.S. Federal Drug Administration) approved materials, should be easily and quickly filled and emptied, and should be resealable. The present invention accomplishes these objects.